The cardiovascular effects of acute aquatic (AE) and treadmill (TE) exercise were determined in untrained adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were exercised to exhaustion or for a maximum of 5 min with either exercise mode and data collected during the last minute of exercise were compared to preexercise rest data. Heart rate and cardiac output increased only with TE; arterial pressure remained stable during both protocols. Regional blood flow was determined by the radioactive microsphere technique. Coronary flow increased only with TE. Skeletal muscle flow, determined in six muscle groups, increased more with TE (97 to 587%) than with AE (-44 to 260%) (flow in the quadriceps group decreased during AE). Flow to the skin and splanchnic regions decreased; cerebral flow increased in both groups. Blood gas data suggest lactic acidosis and hyperventilation only with TE. These data indicate that 1) the cardiovascular effects of acute, exhaustive bouts of AE and TE in the rat are not comparable, and 2) the hemodynamic changes occurring with exhaustive TE in rat, as in man, involve a shunting of blood to the regions of demand and away from the nonessential circulations.